Has anyone else been getting phone calls from Karen of the NC Pork Council and also junk mail? We have received two phone calls and one postcard during the past week. Is some new lobbying effort going into the the state legislature to change rules about hog farms and waste lagoons? Our rural buffer and other rules limit large scale hog farms in Orange County. I hope no one is trying to make things worse.

In 2013, a couple of European psychologists reviewed the literature in an attempt to define the term “quality of life.” Their conclusion was that it “turn[s] out to be an ambiguous and elusive concept.”

In an editorial in the Chapel Hill News, Travis Crayton and Molly DeMarco claimed “Many of us might have originally chosen to live in Chapel Hill/Carrboro because of the high quality of life, exemplified by a vibrant student life, arts and music scene, and abundance of unique, local businesses.”

CHALT members have staked out their desire to “Protect the quality of life in Chapel Hill’s residential neighborhoods, where we live and raise our children.”

Social science researchers learn in introductory methodology courses to define their terms up front. So I am asking you to share your thoughts. What does ‘quality of life’ mean to you? We know there isn’t a “right” answer, but that doesn’t mean we can’t come to a local consensus. If we can construct a shared definition, perhaps it will make conversations about solutions more inclusive, or at least less divisive.

I just received this
article from a neighbor. It focuses on the state once again opting not
to use federal monies for important state activities. My guess is that
in the future the state will do less environmental monitoring and then
use that as an excuse to repeal current regulations making them even
weaker. The last two days I have been attending LUMO (land use
meetings.) An important issue is House Bill 74 which was passed this year. It's
goal was to prevent local governments from passing regulations which
will protect towns more than the state or federal laws. (The Republican
logic was that government regulation prevents job formation. By that
logic Chapel Hill should have one of the highest unemployment rates in
the state but of course we have one of the lowest unemployment rates. )
Fortunately it did NOT repeal current local legislation such as the
rules Chapel Hill has to protect water sheds, prevent erosion and
regulate development near streams. However, any revisions of those rules
under HB74 would require 100% (not majority vote) by the local
government. This means that as the town rewrites and in some cases